In the 1950s the AO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen) Foundation was set up to research the use of bone implants in bone healing. The AO Foundation established four principles for the development of bone implants suitable for supporting bone healing. The AO principles are:                Anatomic reduction of the fracture fragments, particularly in joint fractures;        Stable fixation to ensure proper healing of the fracture allowing surrounding tissue to move and strengthen;        Atraumatic surgical technique to preserve the blood supply to the bone fragments and soft tissue; and        Early, pain-free mobilization returning the patient to function as soon as possible.        
Following these well-established principles many examples and types of bone implants, such as bone plates, intramedullary nails, etc., have been developed and are used in bone healing. These bone implants are often made of metal or metallic material and are commonly fabricated as a single piece having a planar or a cylindrical shape. The bone implants are often manufactured using a number of manufacturing processes including milling, cutting, drilling, hole forming, thread forming, etc. Each process may involve different instrumentation, may take a certain amount of time and can result in a certain amount of waste material.
There is thus a need to simplify manufacturing processes and reduce waste material created during the fabrication of bone implants conforming to the AO principles.